San Antonio donors support “Bridge of Hope” in El Salvador

A mission trip to El Salvador with my San Antonio church when I was 14 changed my life. From the time I stepped off the plane, I knew that this impoverished Central American nation was the place where God was leading me to live in order to dedicate my life to serving the poor.

After moving to El Salvador in early 2010, I immediately began to witness a shocking reality that puts many children there in great danger.

A new law designed to reduce the large number of children living in El Salvador’s orphanages returns children to their biological families without any support or services to ensure their safety. Many of these children grew up in Christian orphanages where they were fed, educated and loved. By returning them to their families, the government is sentencing them to a life of extreme poverty among family members who may be gang members, prostitutes or drug addicts.

As one of the few people to see this crisis first-hand, I felt called to do something about it. Earlier this year, I helped establish the Project RED Fund at the San Antonio Area Foundation to support services for indigent children and their families, like those forced to leave the orphanages of El Salvador.

I also created an El Salvadoran nonprofit, Asociación Puente de Esperanza (or “Bridge of Hope” in English), that is allowing our small team of psychologists and social workers to assess the children forced from the safety of orphanages and help them with:

Reintegration into a better physical environment, by physically improving the home in some way.

Development of healthy nutritional and hygiene habits, by providing the families with monthly supplies of staple foods and cleaning products.

Puente de Esperanza is providing the critical services these children need to safely integrate into their families and receive the education and care they need to become healthy and productive adults.

Our work would not be possible with the generous donations of individuals from San Antonio and other parts of the world. Because there are no resources in El Salvador to help the children affected by this law, the Project RED Fund is an important partner in our mission. Individuals who want to help can donate through the Project RED Fund to sponsor families or make one-time special gifts. Puente de Esperanza also welcomes groups that want to give hands-on assistance to the families we serve by building houses, constructing chicken coops, planting community gardens, installing water filters, and many other important projects.

While the primary focus of the Area Foundation is local, its donors make it possible for me and others to serve the needs of our global community. The Project RED Fund is helping vulnerable children and families living in poverty in El Salvador and providing bridges of hope that span countries and cultures.

Would you like to be a bridge of hope for children in El Salvador? Visit www.projectredelsalvador.org to make a donation or learn about volunteer opportunities with Puente de Esperanza.